There is a clear line between non-violent protest and planned disruption of university academic events.

At a recent Israel Institute seminar at the Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, Palestinian Solidarity Committee (PSC) members purposefully crossed that line. They invaded the event, refusing either to sit and listen or to leave, confronted audience members, and shouted slogans, “Free Palestine,” and “Long Live the Intifada.” They blocked the lecturer to deliver their own view of the talk before it began and also demeaned the speaker. They justified their action as an “intervention.” Now, on the basis of a doctored video of the event, these same students are cynically pressing charges against the faculty member, Ami Pedahzur, head of the Israel Institute, for responding to their provocation.